Page 15 - Westmounter_FallWinter2020_Digitalv2[Oct2_2020]
P. 15

The Westmounter






          Member since 1987. A couple of Bennett’s 2019 golf    many years to come.”
          highlights include: a second place finish at the Dixie
          Amateur in West Palm Beach, Florida and T15 in his    It’s been an eventful start to his collegiate career;
          final Canadian Junior Boys Championship.              joining the Golden Eagles in middle of a pandemic is
                                                                strange enough, but Bennett is making the most of it.
          What he loves most about Westmount is Stanley         Two of his teammates–including another freshman–
          Thompson’s trademark design. “I like the wide fairways,”   have yet to join the team due to COVID-19. One is
          Bennett explains. “I hit a long ball, but hit it sideways   from South Africa and another from Thailand. All of the
          sometimes. I like that the fairways are tree-lined yet you   scheduled fall tournaments were cancelled. Luckily,
          still have to shape it on some holes.”                Brescher arranged for the team to compete in three
                                                                events: one in Alabama, one in Tennessee and one in
          Bennett hit very few errant shots in this year’s Club   Arkansas. “We are lucky to be playing, as 85-90 percent
          Championships. In only his second time competing      of teams are not competing this fall,” he says.
          in the event, the 19-year-old won in a dramatic finish.
          On the 18th hole in the final round, Bennett holed a   In mid-September, Bennett contracted the coronavirus
          gap wedge for eagle to edge past 15-time past club    and quarantined for two weeks. The day after he
          champion Rob Cowan by a stroke and defending          finished quarantine, the golf team left for its first
          champion Jonn Drewery by two.                         tournament. Overall, despite a global pandemic,
                                                                contracting coronavirus and the prospect of fewer golf
          “I didn’t see it go in, but my friend told me the ball   tournaments than normal, Bennett is adjusting well to
          landed, spun forward, and then came right back into   college life.
          the hole,” Bennett recalls. “The patio was full and
 meet bennett ruby  everyone started going crazy … it was pretty awesome.”   “I was ready to move out on my own,” he concludes.

                                                                “I definitely miss some stuff though – like my mom’s
          Before committing to the University of Southern
          Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Bennett chatted with a    cooking – and Westmount in the fall.”
 MEN’S CLUB CHAMP HEADS SOUTH TO PURSUE GOLF DREAMS
 BY DAVID MCPHERSON  few other schools: some in California and a few in
          the northern states. The deciding factor was going
          somewhere he could golf year-round. His long-term
 Cruising up Aberdeen Drive en   The endless practice paid off. In 2019, Bennett was   goal is to turn professional, make the PGA TOUR and
          follow in the footsteps of many other Golf Canada
 route to the Club–and leaving   named to Team Canada’s National Junior Boys Squad   National Team alumni like Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie
 via Inverness–in recent years you   as Ontario’s lone representative. This past August, he   Hughes and Corey Connors.
 won the Club Championship for the first time. And, this
 probably noticed Bennett Ruby   fall, he started a golf scholarship at the University of   “Bennett is an all-around fantastic player,” said Head
 either surrounded by buckets of   Southern Mississippi.  Golf Coach Eddie Brescher in a university press release

 balls in the bunker, on the putting   Bennett was born with a golf club in his hand. In the   announcing the Waterloo native’s signing. “His game
 green or chipping. The teenager   winters, he played AAA hockey, and in the spring and   resembles a Dustin Johnson, long hitter with a great
          short game. He is definitely the longest junior golfer
 spent more hours here than on   summer it was all about chasing the little white ball.   I have ever seen. We saw Bennett two years ago in
 the course. “The practice facility at   He teed it up for the first time at Westmount not long   Canada and were immediately impressed with his
 after taking his first steps. Bennett recalls his dad (Len)
 Westmount is unreal!” he says.    taking him to the driving range every weekend from the   character and golf abilities. He is a good student that
 time he was five. His grandpa (Brian Ruby) has been a   comes from a fantastic and disciplined family. We look
          to him as being a consistent stable in our lineup for
 14                                                                                                                 15
   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20